What causes epididymitis?

A well-known cause of epididymo-orchitis is mumps. In severe cases it may lead to loss of function of the affected...

26/05/2015

Question

My doctor has diagnosed me with an illness I'm not familiar with.

What causes epididymitis?

Answer

The answer to this simple question is not quite so simple!

Epididymitis is inflammation of the collecting tubules that lie behind the testes in the scrotum.

Inflammation of the epididymis is often associated with an inflammation of the urethra or of the testes, a so-called orchitis.

A well-known cause of epididymo-orchitis is mumps. In severe cases it may lead to loss of function of the affected testis.

Other forms of epididymitis may be classified as gonococcal and non-gonococcal. The former arises after the urethritis caused by the sexually transmitted gonococcus bacteria has subsided.

Non-gonococcal epididymitis is an ascending infection that may or may not be associated with an inflammation of the urethra. It may be caused by Corynebacterium or genital mycoplasma.

In patients over 35 years it can be caused by E. coli, pseudomonas, or proteus bacteria. In these cases there is often no urethritis, although pus may be found in the urine. The trichomonas microorganism may also be responsible.

Treatment is using an appropriate antibiotic therapy, although identifying the causative organism can be difficult.

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